Self Love
by FallenAmazonian
Summary: Blake's best friend has self-esteem issue but that doesn't stop her from falling in love with her anyway. Just when she works up the courage to tell her though she finds out that she's leaving town for 8 months. When she finally returns Blake wont let her chance slip even though she's...different.


"Yang! You're the close quarters fighter you don't have time to question yourself. Hesitations like that during a battle could be the difference between life and death. You hear me?"

"Y-Yes. Sorry sir." She watched the blonde shyly answer and scurried off to stand beside her.

This wasn't the first time Blakes seen this kind of reaction from Yang. The self-effacing girl was so unsure of herself and timid. She took another glance at her partner who, to her surprise, was already staring back at her. She watched as her eyes widened and she quickly turned away. She noticed the red on the tip of Yang's ear when she nervously tucked a few hanging strands of hair behind her ear.

"Okay class that'll be all for today's lesson. Please make sure you're practicing in your free time. Summer break is right around the corner but that doesn't mean you should not be sharpening your skills"

Most of the students quickly exited the training ground while a few stragglers, like herself, took their time.

"Hey, guys! Do you wanna head to the gym and work on team attacks." Ruby asked while dragging a somewhat annoyed Weiss behind her. Normally she wouldn't have hesitated to join since their team needs all the practice they can get but judging by the dejected look on her partner's face they wouldn't be very productive anyway.

"Actually, I'm really hungry. How about you Yang?"

"Uh, Y-Yea me too."

"Oh okay, we'll meet you guys back in the room later."

Blake grabbed her weapon and started heading to the cafeteria. She could hear Yang's heavy breathing beside her so she slowed her strides just a bit. It's not like she was in a rush anyway, she only mentioned getting food because she knows Yang didn't eat this morning and wasn't going to eat now without her present.

The lunch line wasn't as long as usual so they were able to pick from an assortment of different food. She chose her usual sushi and cookies. She looked at her partner's plate which contained a sandwich and fruit salad.

They both made a beeline for the exit without a second thought. It was their usual routine. Before the could reach the door a voice stopped them.

"Yo, Blake!"

"Hey, Sun."

"I was wondering if you wanted to come to the guy's party tonight?"

"Oh, well I'm hanging with Yang." _Obviously._

"All day?"

"...Yes." _You could always invite Yang too._

"Ugh. Okay, next time then."

"Sure." She answered with a tight-lipped smile.

"Are you ready Yang?" Her partner who was looking at the floor as if she wanted it to swallow her up.

"Y- Yeah"

Both girls sat under the cherry blossom tree. Since it was spring the flowers were growing in beautifully and the birds were singing wistfully.

"How's your sandwich?"

"It's good. They're really heavy handed with the mayo though." She couldn't help but smile. Even though they've been in class together all day, this is the first time she's seen Yang act like herself.

"I told you! You said I was being too critical."

"I know. I know." She said in between giggles. "But you were going on and on about how they should use fresher tuna so I assumed you were being biased. You know I'm right kitty cat." She added with a confident smirk.

"And I have every right to be!" she playfully slapped Yang's arm.

"Meow ouch! Kitty's got claws huh?"

These were the moments she enjoyed most about attending Beacon. Yang was the first friend she made at the school. Before partners were assigned Blake spent most of her time alone with a book under this specific tree. One afternoon while she was in the middle of a riveting chapter a blonde girl stumbled through the bushes holding a tray of food tightly in her grasp.

"_S-Sorry. I didn't know someone was h-here."_

"_Uh, yea. I come here to read." The blonde was shuffling her feet uncomfortably almost as if she was gonna make a break for it at any moment. Blake was going to just return to her book and ignore the intruder until she noticed how puffy and red her eyes were. She obviously came here to escape something that's troubling her. "But there's definitely enough room for two though."_

"_Oh um…" _

"_Please, come sit."_

"_O-okay." The blushing girl scurried over beside her. After a few uncomfortable seconds Blake returned back to her book. _

_She wasn't sure how long she read for but the setting sun was indicating it was time to leave. The girl sitting beside her finished her food long before Blake closed her book. She wasn't sure why she decided to sit here instead of returning to her friends or literally anywhere else. She must be bored Blake thought as she watched the girl idly fiddling with a white lotus flower she must've picked from professor Goodwitch's garden. _

"_How was your sandwich?" The blonde girl's eyes sprang up almost as if she was shocked Blake was even acknowledging her. _

"_Oh um, i-it was good."_

"_So good that you decided to eat outside with a stranger."_

"_Well, m-my sister usually eats with me bu-but she had to meet with a someone for a group project."_

"_You only eat with her?"_

"_Um, Yea." The girl blushed embarrassingly. "I don't have any other friends here and I don't like eating in the cafe alone."_

"_If it makes you feel better… I don't have any real friends either."_

"_You don't have to lie to make me feel better."_

"_Well making friends as a faunus is always hard plus do you think I'd be out here alone if I was telling the truth." _

"_Uh.. I guess not. Sorry."_

_There was a long pause just so the girls could study each other. (More like Blake studying Yang while she sat blushing like an idiot). The girl's hair was a beautiful shade of gold even though it was thinning, seemingly from stress. Her lavender eyes were pools of emotion primarily pain. Her body was one that didn't resemble most huntsmen. For one, she was a bit shorter than Blake by an inch or two which didn't matter too much when you're backed by skill. She was a bit chubbier than to be expected since they were on strict training schedules. She didn't have much feminine curves. Her bust was teetering on the small side and her hanging belly didn't give her a small waistline. 'Could this be why she's afraid to eat alone in the cafeteria? Shes self-conscious?'_

"_I read here every day around this time. If you ever need another dinner buddy."_

"_I wouldn't want to bother you-"_

"_You're not bothering me at all. Actually, it would be nice to have a friend."_

"_Me? You want to be friends with me?"_

"_Yea, I would. I'm Blake by the way."_

"_Y-Yang! Yang Xiao Long… I don't know why I said my full name." Blake couldn't help but laugh at her awkwardness._

From then on the girls always spent time together under the tree. Sooner or later they were able to speak freely and openly to each other without the residual awkwardness. Blake told her about her fears as a faunus and Yang told her about her insecurities. How she struggled with her body image especially as a huntress and how eating in public makes her anxious. Together they were able to speak their truths without fear of judgment. And when they were assigned as each other's partners their relationship only grew stronger. That's when Blake was introduced to a side of Yang that she wasn't familiar with before. The side of her that love puns and was unapologetically gleeful. This side of Yang became Blake's favorite, the side that wasn't second-guessing her self and timid but instead carefree. This was the side of Yang that Blake fell in love with.

She contemplated confessing her love for Yang several times. She brought chocolate, wrote letters and even made a playlist one time but none of it seemed right. One evening she worked up the courage to actually say it. To actually tell the girl that she was beautiful inside and out. To tell the girl that she was worth more than 1000 diamonds. To tell the girl that the best part of her day was saying seeing her smile. So with a rose in one hand and a cheesy written a poem in the other, she made her way to the cherry blossom tree ready to pour her heart out. But when she arrived she saw the defeated look and Yang's eyes and she knew that it wasn't fair to her if she created unnecessary baggage for a girl who was already battling too much in her life. _How could I expect her to love me when she can't even love herself. _Instead consoled Yang as she cried for hours about how her mom called and made her feel like such a failure.

Blake has tried reassuring her, to prove to her that she is much stronger than she thinks she is but Yang and carried too much self-doubt to believe it. That's why till this day Blake has been by her side always an arms-length away not because she thinks the girl relies on her but because she loves her so much it hurts to leave her side.

"Oh, Yang I forgot to give you this." Blake reached in her bag and handed the contraption to her.

"A spark plug?! How did you even find this! When did you even leave campus?" Yang looked at her completely shocked.

"That's my little secret." She gave her a cheeky smile. Its no secret to Blake that Yang loves working on her motorcycle. It's far from finished but she's always talking about a new part she's working on. Honestly, Blake doesn't care for motorcycles and only listens because Yang gets the most excited look on her face when she talks about it which never fails to give her butterflies. Last week's topic was spark plugs which Blake sneakily ordered online to surprise her.

"Thank you. Thank You!"

Yang launched herself onto her and hugged her tightly. Although it only lasted a few seconds it was long enough to turn Blake into a blushing mess. "N-No problem."

"No seriously Blake. You've been my closest friend here at Beacon. You're so kind and honest and you're always doing these nice little gestures. I'm really gonna miss you."

"You're saying that like you're leaving or something." She chuckled.

"I…" The laughing quickly stopped when she noticed the serious look on Yangs faces.

"Y-You're leaving." The downcasted look Yang had was all the validation she needed.

"I know we can stay for the summer to sharpen our skills but my mom wants me to come home."

"Bu-But I-I thought you didn't live with your mom!?"

"I don't. She doesn't even have shared custody over me but she threatened to take my dad to court if she didn't get to see me as if she hasn't been MIA for a decade." Yang sighed.

"W-When will you be back?" She tried to stop the tears from escaping her eyes.

"I won't be back until November."

"W-What?! That's almost 8 months!"

"I know."

"That's most of the year."

"I know," Yang added quietly again. "I'm sorry."

"When do you leave?"

"7 pm. I'm already packed. I'm just waiting for the call." That line alone made Blakes' heart feel like it shattered into a million pieces.

"That's in less than an hour."

"I know… I wanted to tell you sooner but I didn't want to ruin our time together-"

Before she could finish her sentence Blake latched onto her as if her life depended on it. She didn't want her to go, not before she told her at least but the words dried up in her throat. As much as she wanted to say the dreaded three words she knew Yang deserved better. She inhaled deeply to smell the intoxicating lavender scent coming from her shampoo. The same scent that became Blake's favorite a long time ago.

The moment was ruined when the sound of a scroll ringtone forced them apart, forced Yang to leave their spot, their tree, their bubble they created after months of friendship.

—

November 13th

"Someone's excited." Ruby nudged her arm.

"Why would you say that."

"Well, you're smiling way more than usual and I'm sure I heard you singing in the shower this morning." _Damn was I that obvious_ "Its okay to be excited. I'm excited too! Yangs coming back today! She's my sister and your partner. We have every right to be excited." Blake couldn't stop the small smile from appearing on her lips. These last few months have been absolute torture. Everything from the Yangs old bed, the smell of lavender, even the flowers she liked that Professor Goodwitch grew reminded her of Yang.

As the day of Yang's arrival ticked closer and closer Blake felt her excitement steadily grow until she couldn't contain it anymore. She power cleaned their shared room, brought Yang's favorite video game and maybe even made her favorite food.

"Come on! She's gonna be here any moment!"

Ruby grabbed Weiss and Blakes arm and dragged them to the front of the busy school. While Ruby talked Weiss's ear off about all the fun she and Yang use to have as children, Blake quietly pulled out the bouquet of white lotuses from behind her back and placed them carefully in her bag. She needs to wait for the perfect moment to give them to her.

"Oh my god!" Ruby shouted way louder than she appreciated. "You got Yang flowers! Shes gonna love it." Blake couldn't hide the blush dusted on her cheeks. "You know she wrote a few letters while she was away and she asked about you in every single one."

"R-Really?"

"You know if you told her she probably would reciprocate," Weiss added in a low voice.

"W-What? What are you talking about."

"Your feelings for Yang. It's pretty obvious."

"At least it is to Weiss and I!"

She couldn't even try to deny it, not to her teammates at least. She felt her ears droop and she stared at the ground to hide her embarrassment. She only looked up when she felt a gentle hand on grasp her shoulder.

"Look, Blake. No one loves Yang more than me but as we got older she struggled more and more with things I just couldn't help her with and her mother only continued to make things worse. When you showed up though…she became happy again."

Blake didn't know how to respond. Before she could get a word out, Weiss cut into the conversation.

"Is that...Yang's bike?"

Speeding toward the school was a yellow bike that Blake was 100% sure was bumblebee. The crowds of student parted to watch the bike come to a screeching halt just a few feet in front of team RWBY. The rider removed their helmet and shook their long flowing blonde hair. There was a chorus of "Woahs" and "Damns" amongst the crowd and if you asked Blake this next part happened in slow motion. The mysterious rider removed her aviators revealing the same beautiful lavender eyes that Blake fell in love with a long time ago.

There was several murmurs that rumbled through the growing crowd.

"Yang?!" "Is that Yang?"

She completely understood their confusion. The once short girl stood a solid 5 inches taller. Her once flat chest was covered by sizeable breast that her orange shirt could barely contain. The hanging belly and meaty thighs were replaced by a thick layer of muscle. Even with her clothes on Blake cause see her bulging biceps and solid abs. _Holy shit, Yang has a six-pack. _

As soon as both of Yang's feet were firmly planted on the ground Ruby rushed toward her for a bear hug. If this was 8 months ago the little sister would have completely knocked over the blonde but today, she seemed completely unaffected by the 110 pounds of pure energy hanging from her shoulders.

"Hey, little sis!"

"Yang you grew soo much taller!"

"Yeah, I hit a crazy growth spurt. You wouldn't believe the growing pains."

While she gave Weiss a hug, Ruby continued to talk her ear off about the things that happened while she was away. "So we all went shopping for new outfits and Blake brought this super cool white jacket-"

"Where is Blake?" Ruby pointed to the figure a few feet behind the blonde. When their eyes met she felt a ton of butterflies flutter through her body like they had several times before.

"Blake!" She didn't have time to brace herself before 5'10 of pure muscle lifted her in the air and spun her around. The arms crushing her waist forced her to gasp for air. "Blakey, I missed you so much!" She attempted to respond but her voice was muffled due to her face being shoved into Yang's ample cleavage.

When her feet were finally re-acquainted with the ground and her face was finally free she took in a big intake of air. It only took a second to realize that her hands were resting on the blondes hips and her forehead resting on her breasts. _Holy Shit!_ She rushed to take a step away to put distance between them. Her mouth opened to talk but no words came out. There were very few moments when Blake was truly at a loss for words but at this moment her brain couldn't keep up with what was happening. She realized that any plan of confessing her love was completely thrown out the window. "Y-Y-Yan-g" _I can't even say her name! How am I supposed to talk to her?_ Instead of fumbling through more sentences Blake attempted to give her a sexy smirk which turned out to be more of a stiff smile.

Yang only giggled at her awkwardness. "How about we all head to the room. It seems like we've drawn a crowd"

The team helped Yang put her bike in the garage and brought her luggage to the room.

"Yes! My bed!"

"I'm surprised you missed these flat beds at all," Weiss said.

"Usually I wouldn't have but my mom didn't necessarily have a bed for me." 'Or a room' Blake heard her mumble the last part.

"How was staying with Raven?" Ruby asked a bit cautiously.

"Well, for one she wasn't happy with how 'soft I've become'," Yang answered with air quotes.

"That explains a lot," Weiss said.

"She made me spar every day and when I wasn't training I was exercising. She even made me hike a mile to a market for dinner every day."

"Wow. When did you find the time to finish Bumblebee?" Ruby excitedly butt in.

"She'd give me a couple of hours a day to work on Bumblebee and Ember Celica because and I quote, 'I refuse to raise a blonde bimbo so you will hone your engineer skills'."

"Woah your mom is pretty intense," Weiss commented

"Yeah, Raven is...Raven. I've gotten used to her by now."

"Well big sis we have to celebrate now that you're back!" 

They spent the entire afternoon laughing and talking until Weiss and Ruby left for dinner.

"Are you guys coming?"

"We'll catch up with you guys later!" Before she could figure out what was going on Yang began pulling her down the pathway and through the bushes. In mere minutes their spot was visible. The cherry blossom tree was a beautiful shade of light orange with specks of red sprinkled in.

Yang was quick to take her usual seat while Blake stood awkwardly clutching her bag. If she had any artistic skill she would've painted this moment to capture it forever. There was something ethereal about watching the woman she loved sitting under a changing fall tree at sunset.

"Hey, kitty cat why are you just standing there."

"R-Right." She reached inside her bag to grab the bouquet. "I uh I picked these for you earlier."

She watched as Yang's lavender eyes glossed over. "B-Blake. These are beautiful. Thank you." A shaky hand brushed against hers as she reached for the flowers. "They're my favorite." She pulled Blake into a hug that was much tighter than earlier. This hug wasn't filled with excitement and adrenaline but love and admiration.

When they finally pulled away their eyes met for the first time in months.

_This is it. I should tell her. I wasted too much time. It's now or never. _

"Yang-"

"Blake-"

Both girls started at the same time.

"You go first." Blake quickly said.

"Um- I-I wanted to know uh… willyougoonadatewithme?!" Blake blinked once, trying to decipher what she said.

"Uhh, can you say that again but… a lot slower."

Yang cleared her throat and steeled herself "W-will you go ona- on a date with me?" The blush on the blonde's cheeks was so sickeningly cute and right before she could comment she realized what was asked.

"Y-You want to-to take me out?"

"YES." She answered without making eye contact.

Blake giggled a bit which quickly turned into full-blown laughter.

"R-RIght. It was stupid of me to think you'd want to- to be with me." Yang said with a lot of emotion in her voice.

"N-No Yang." She wiped away a stray tear to slipped through during her laughter. "I would love to go out with you. It's just I spent the last two years building the confidence to ask you and you just...did it."

"Well, to be fair I have had a crush on you since the first day of school." She answered as she pushed some blonde hair shyly behind her year.

"Wait we didn't meet until the 2nd month of school."

"Y-Yeah that's when we met formally but I first saw you in the library. Every Tuesday I would do my homework at the computers and sometimes I'd see you reading over at the back tables." That statement caused Blake to giggle even more than before. "Don't laugh at me kitty cat."

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. It's just that we've been crushing on each other for years."

"Believe me if I knew I would've told you a long time ago."

"Me too." She chuckled.

She leaned her head on Yang's strong shoulder.

"You know, sitting under this tree just didn't feel right without you. I didn't feel right without you."

"Well, now that my mom deems me a worthy successor I won't have to leave you like that again. I'll stay by your side for as long as you'll have me."

"I think that's purrfect." She repeated Yang's cheesy pun. Before she knew what was happening she was flipped onto her back and miraculously tickled. Before she would've easily wiggled her way from Yangs grasp but now the girl was nothing but solid muscle and there was seemingly no escape from the attack.

"You think it's funny to steal jokes, huh?"

"N-No!"

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yes! Pleases-stop!"

In a fit of giggles, Yang finally relented but she didn't move from her position above Blake. When she finally calmed down she noticed how Yang was staring at her, like she was truly in love.

"You know you're really cute when you blush."

The statement only made her blush even harder.

"C-Can I… kiss you?" the blonde asked.

Without warning, Blake surged forward finally doing what she had been dying to for so long.

When her mouth met Yang's soft pillowy lips she knew she'd spend eternity there.

She didn't know how long they stayed there kissing under the moonlight but when they pulled away she couldn't stop herself from whispering the words she had wanted to utter so long ago.

"I love you."

"I've always loved you."

Blake's best friend has self-esteem issue but that doesn't stop her from falling in love with her anyway. Just when she works up the courage to tell her though she finds out that she's leaving town for 8 months. When she finally returns Blake wont let her chance slip even though she's...different.


End file.
